Stories from Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Sometimes the best laid plans can go awry and boy oh boy did it painfully happen on Sunday as the defending 14-year old Babe Ruth state champion Marshall County Bombers came into this year's 15-year old tournament as heavy favorites to make it back to the SE Region Tournament with all signs pointing towards Union City for the Bombers. Marshall County hosted the state tournament last weekend at Lewisburg and the Bombers shellacked Franklin 23-0 in the opening round Friday night before coming away with a tough fought 4-3 win over Giles County on Saturday, putting the Bombers just one win away from a return trip to the SE Region.

It's rivalry that goes back before the current coaches were even born. It's Marshall County versus Giles County and you can throw out all the stats and insert all the intangibles when these two squads meet. On Saturday at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Field in Lewisburg, the Marshall County and Giles County 13-15 year-old all-stars met in the second round of the Babe Ruth State Tournament and the game was excellently played with the Bombers coming away with a 4-3 comeback win, putting them one win away from a state title.